# Lightme vs Film Development Assistant

The clearest difference is update cadence: Lightme at every 2 weeks against Film Development Assistant's every 10 months. Lightme also leads on ratings volume (104 vs 3) and device support (4 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Lightme sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Film Development Assistant sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Film Development Assistant holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lightme has 104 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Lightme ships an update every 2 weeks, Film Development Assistant every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Lightme | Film Development Assistant |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (104 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightme-logbook/id1544518308/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/film-development-assistant/id6751124070/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **104** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 10 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 13 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Giuseppe Bertolini](https://appshunter.io/developer/1509033789) | [Zachary Burns](https://appshunter.io/developer/1833524304) |

## What reviewers say

### Lightme

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightme-logbook/id1544518308)

This app helps analog photographers meticulously track their film rolls, shots, and development processes. It allows for detailed logging of gear and consumables, with features for data visualization and export. Users can also manage film holders and add post-development notes with photos of final results.

**Highlights:** Log film rolls, shots, and development, Track gear and consumables, Data visualization with graphs/histograms, Data export in JSON/CSV formats, Manage large format film holders, Post-development notes with photos

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Cappuccino | $2.99 | per month |
| Focaccia Barese | $12.99 | per year |
| Spaghetti Carbonara | $29.99 | per year |
| Homemade Pizza party | $49.99 | per year |
| Box of Prosecco | $59.99 | one-time |
| Fuel for my '90s camper | $119.99 | one-time |
| Terme for two | $239.99 | one-time |


### Film Development Assistant

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/film-development-assistant/id6751124070)

This app helps amateur photographers track their film development chemicals and sessions. It monitors chemical batch expiration, usage, and provides multi-stage timers for development processes. Users can also record notes on session quality for future reference.

**Highlights:** Chemical batch tracking, Expiration date monitoring, Session tracking, Multi-stage development timers, Chemical usage calculation, Session notes and quality tracking

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 7 Day Free Trial | Free | one-time |
| Film Development Assistant Pro | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Lightme free?

Lightme is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Film Development Assistant free?

Film Development Assistant is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Lightme or Film Development Assistant?

Film Development Assistant is rated higher. Lightme averages 4.8 out of 5 from 104 ratings, while Film Development Assistant averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Lightme or Film Development Assistant have ads?

Neither Lightme nor Film Development Assistant shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Lightme or Film Development Assistant?

Lightme ships an update every 2 weeks, and Film Development Assistant every 10 months. Most recently, Lightme was updated on November 3, 2026 and Film Development Assistant on November 5, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*